The City of Greensboro will host a “Black Balloon Day” event on Friday, March 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at LeBauer Park, located at 208 N. Davie St., to honor lives lost to overdose and to support families that have been impacted by substance use.
A press release from the city states that the event is being organized by the city’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) team in partnership with the Guilford County Division of Public Health’s Drug and Injury Prevention Program.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose remains one of the leading causes of accidental death in the United States.
Black Balloon Day was started by Diane and Lauren Hurley to honor the life of their relative, Greg Tremblay – a husband and father of four who died from an overdose in 2015 at the age of 38.
Communities across the country now observe the day as a way to remember those lost and to raise awareness about the ongoing opioid epidemic.
City of Greensboro officials say attendees may bring a photo of a loved one who died from an overdose for display alongside memorial yard signs at the event. Submitted photos won’t be returned.
Organizers also note that balloons will not be released.
In conjunction with the Guilford County Division of Public Health, the LEAD team will provide community resources and distribute naloxone on site. The event will also include music, refreshments, door prizes and guest speakers.
The LEAD team is a part of the city’s Community Safety Department, which works on public safety initiatives focused on prevention, crisis intervention and long-term case management. According to the city’s announcement, the department’s approach is aimed at addressing issues such as mental health challenges, addiction and homelessness that can lead to repeated contact with law enforcement.
The Drug and Injury Prevention Program at the Guilford County Division of Public Health focuses on educating the community about substance use and promoting evidence-based strategies to prevent death, disease and related harms. Its stated goal is to expand access to education, connect individuals with critical resources and foster a more informed and supportive community.
i am hosting a program to educate the community about the dangers of smacking themselves on the head with a hammer.
where do i rsvp ill be sure to advertise it in east greensboro if i dont get shot that is
i have a good friend who was shot on west gate city blvd by (guess race)
Apply to city council and they probably will GIVE you 100-300K with no accountability!
Nature has a way of weeding out the dumb and unfit.
How absurd! Honor is something to be proud of. Are we proud our friends, neighbors, colleagues overdosed? I certainly am not.
A quick Google search credits Webster’s & several other sources defining Honor as:
Honor, stemming from Old French onor and Latin honor/honos (meaning esteem or dignity), refers to high respect, integrity, or a reputation for good character. It signifies both an internal moral code and external recognition. Types include personal honor (integrity), social honor (reputation), and bestowed honor (awards/privilege). It plays a critical role in shaping societal norms, with historical roots in maintaining family or group reputation.
So are we now allowing the City, misguided by this group, to re-define what honor means? It is a discredit to all that we truly honor. The city says release a balloon to honor those who overdosed. I say #@%k ’em.
If is a fair question. First thing to note is that addiction is a disease that has affected millions of Americans.
Why ‘Honor’ those that died of overdose?
1) Key is honoring the person, as a human being is more than their cause of death. We honor the dead out of respect for life, especially those family and friend left behind.
2) Validation of the Struggle. Honor in this sense is often synonymous with acknowledgement. Deaths from addiction are often only ‘whispered’ about or hidden in shame. Honoring these individuals is a public way of saying: “Their Life Had Value” or “Their Struggle Was Real and Exhausted” or “We Refuse to Be Ashamed of Them”. Never fair to only judge a person by their worst characteristic or worst action.
3) Honoring turns grief into advocacy. Break the stigma and encourage others currently struggling to seek help without fear of judgement. Use the event to create an opportunity to educate as means to prevent the same thing from happening to others.
Final note: While one person might see “honor” as a reward for virtue, another sees it as a basic right – the right to be remembered with dignity regardless of the shadows they walked through.
Chris I’m curious I think I know the answer before I ask have you ever served in the military You might want to try that before you talk about HONOR
Are we pretending that all people that served in the military are honorable people by default? Want to see someone in the military who isn’t honorable, just look at the moron at the top sitting of the organization in Drowsy Don’s cabinet of fools.
Hope that helps
I personally think he is very Honorable. What do you find dishonorable about him.
So a guy that attempts to ‘punish’ a senior retired military officer who served with distinction because the didn’t like that he reminded officers of their duty to only follow lawful orders is honorable to you…..Got it. Says as much about you as it does him.
I bet you think it ok that Trump claimed McCain wasn’t a hero because he was captured as well? You know…because your cult requires you to support everything Trump and his team do….
Best wishes
‘lawful orders’ ? should lawyers be assigned to squads, platoons, companies, regiments, battalions . . . where ? & in combat !
I would agree that telling people about the dangers of addiction, but honoring a day to them is a little bit absurd in my opinion. I think that this festival should be about warning the public about the dangers of doing drugs, but it was these people’s horrible decision to do drugs, and overdosing is a side effect. This was their decision, and it should be addressed that this choice doesn’t define them, but we shouldn’t honor them for making this choice and dying because of it. They brought this on themselves.
Addiction isn’t a choice. It’s a mistake. Are you defined solely by your mistakes?
We agree to disagree.
Thanks for the polite response that avoids the childish name calling I typically receive here. It is greatly appreciated.
Best wishes.
Careful Chris your TDS is showing again
‘fear of judgement’ is what makes ‘shaming & shunning’ effective, nonviolent management tools for ‘cat herders’
ditto
Just Saying I totally agree, what the hell is honorable about Overdosing. Just another liberal idea of our city to waste time on what’s really important. Just like city resources being used to paint blm on a city street
there is a snark latin term for ‘his reputation precedes him’ referring specifically to j caesar ?
Another city joke. When will it stop?
I am glad to see that I’m not the only who finds this public display of self immolation a bit bizarre.
While my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, what is the purpose? People wish have a gathering to honor/remember those that took their own lives, I wish you well, but as Just Sayin pointed out where is the “honor” by, in essence, taking your own life via illicit drug use. And the portion of the opening paragraph the Rhino “…to honor lives lost to overdose and to support families that have been impacted by substance use.” Accidental overdose, yes. but these were not accidents.
And one other thing about that opening paragraph…”…substance use”? By that we should be ‘honoring’ anybody who died from substance use. Didn’t you mean ‘abuse’? Just asking.
My sympathies to all who lost someone to this.
‘. . . when he began speaking of his ‘honor’ we began counting the silverware’
I have to disagree with all of those denouncing this event. Those of us who have children who struggled with addiction understand how difficult it is to overcome. And many never do. It is a horrible condition. Drugs change your brain chemistry to the point you will do anything to feed the craving. You go without food, sleep, care, you will put yourself in life-threating situations, heck, you’ll steal grandma’s last nickel to get the next fix. Watching a child as a teen or even in their 30’s go through this just sucks the life out of you. For those of you who have never experienced the unending worry, loss of sleep, the hopelessness, well, I understand how you and Nancy Reagan could just so blithley chirp “Just Say NO”. You have NO idea and count yourself lucky. As for the “Honor”, I support remembering our friends and family members who struggled and did not overcome addiction. They are worth remembering.
Ken,
I agree they should be remembered by friends and loved ones should they desire to do so. I disagree with the call to “honor” them. There is a difference.
And for the record, I am a recovering alcoholic, something not much different from drug user. I have been recovering for 48 years. I went and got help ON MY OWN.
Ken, you have my sympathies for whatever loss you suffered under those circumstances.
i am a recovering ‘screen’ addict . . . see how i struggle n fail !
———-
Well said. Powerful and pointed.
I have lost two children due to drug addiction. It was their choice, but they could not shake it.